Memorialising the Holocaust: How historical exhibitions can reshape our understanding of history.

Abstract

There is no denying that history is multi-faceted and complex. It is complex as it can be viewed, interpreted and remembered in innumerable ways.  This essay, for example, will critically trace the way Sydney Jewish Museum Holocaust Exhibition memorialises the Holocaust in an arguably post-modern manner. The Holocaust was one of the most detrimental acts of genocide documented in history and as aforementioned, the way modern society memorialises and remembers the genocide of the Jewish people greatly varies. Thus, this essay will attempt to argue that society cannot understand our past without historical exhibitions which allow us to remember past mistakes and help society move forward. This essay will likewise highlight, through critically analysing the memorialisation of the Holocaust, how history can perhaps change based on whether it is remembered in a post-modern or modern way. Through critically analysing the role of historical exhibitions in remembering the past with a focus on the memorialisation of the Holocaust, this essay will challenge the concept of shared history and memorialising the past which ultimately moulds the present moment we live in.